At the Last MinuteFinal Deception
by Asurahaya020
Summary: Kira could be so near... Raito only needed to drop hints every so often so that L, the famed toprated detective could grasp his identity. Even at the last minute...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Death Note, as a series, could never belong to me. It is under ownership for all eternity of human beings gifted with nice, ethereal connections namely Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata. Death Note, as itself, might've belonged to me- if only I paid attention to what is falling now and then across the field during class hours. Oh the irony.

Summary: Kira could be so near... Raito only needed to drop hints every so often so that L, the famed top-rated detective could grasp his identity. Even at the last minute...

Author's Notes: **_ich bin es wer wünschen meine Kunst weiblich zu sich entpuppen als grandios!_** (It is I who wishes my art to turn out to be grand!) This is the first installment and I hope it's to your liking! **_ich wahrheitsgemäß schatzen Kritik weiblich! _**(I truly appreciate criticisms!) A special note for people-who-just-LOVE-to-flame! Please consider that flaming, when done impolitely is a form of degrading the literary piece. I will accept them and would gladly reply, however, I would like you to be considerate not only to me but also to other writers. Oh, and I am open for any suggestions and requests. However, these are thought over a great deal and if they don't really fit, I'm sorry but these will be rejected. I'm taking up too much space! Gomen, minna-san! Pray, read on and enjoy!

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**At the Last Minute//Final Deception **

**1: Trickster Visage**

_Do you know that Shinigami eat only apples? _

My original message; the only one I wanted L to understand was that. I should've known, however, that he would use this to trick me into giving a hint about me, Raito Yagami, being Kira. That bastard... L...

I eyed the grim-faced Shinigami and I knew he wasn't at all happy. Me being within the investigation team and all, I had to hang around the headquarters long enough to kill any suspicions pertaining to my unknown identity. Ryuk, ever complacent with the rules of the Death Note, had to follow me around all the while, receiving not one filling, juicy apple for hours and hours of boredom enough to drive a person insane. Or in this case, a Shinigami to death.

As the Matsuda guy raised a report of three more heart-attack cases I had written into the note a week before, I couldn't help but look distressingly upset over his shoulder towards the direction of the god of death. He was already standing on his head- a long, lithe, bony arm supporting his body weight and another rubbing his stomach while his bloodshot eyes were directed strongly towards the fruit basket behind me, obviously watering over the single apple displayed. I flashed him a knowing look, telling him to be more patient.

"Raito?" My father asked, addressing me and my diverted focus. Unfazed, I said, "So far, basing on what Matsuda-san has said, Kira is slacking off with his act. At the start of this case, even before it was given a certain recognition by the mass, he had a record of going as far as twenty three deaths a day... I only have to think that something is preoccupying him, enough that he would slack off, in a sense that he would suddenly drop the numbers of those he kills. There is a huge possibility indeed that Kira is a student, or even perhaps in the working population. However, he still keeps on killing so as to remind us of the fact that we're doing a pretty bad job of looking for him." I finished before scanning the wide-eyed faces of my companions then diverting my speculative gaze to L. He was grinning slightly, his thumb at his pale, parted lips and his toes still abused as ever. He shifted his black, insomnia-evident eyes towards mine as I returned the favor and stared back with retaliating fierceness.

"We have to only double our efforts then, Yagami-kun." I nodded at his remark and grinned inwardly as he stood from his seat and padded towards the curtain covered windows. He lifted one fold slightly and looked longingly outside. The image of the detective, bathed in the dusk light and shadows made me have an uncalculated intake of breath. I assessed the feeling, and it was definitely not of fear nor anything that has to do with it. It was a new one and I wanted to thoroughly understand it. Perhaps letting L into one more clue about my identity would help. "Everybody, it's about time we ended this meeting. I'll call it a day. Watari, if you must..."

Everybody filed up to go and as soon as I was the only one left behind in the room besides L, I winked towards Ryuk, indicating he could finish off the apple. I made sure that L would see the disintegrating apple, floating and slowly disappearing piece by piece as I was already about to close the door of his room.

_Do you know that Shinigami eat only apples?_

Darkly shaded eyes widened at the sight of an apple, floating up high and slowly disappearing slowly into nothingness. L kept his confusion suppressed as he went back to the furniture and sat down, the same way as always, and started deducing the previous occurrence. 10... Raito Yagami being the notorious serial killer Kira had already an imposingly high probability of 10. "Could it really be possible?" Yagami-kun... he would really make the perfect Kira, the detective thought. The intelligence, the cunning personality... everything just screams of him being Kira. "But then..." L thoughtfully slid his thumb across his lips and bit it lightly. "...we would've then asked Kira to come and kill us all."

L stood up from the easy chair and padded once more across the room; towards his room's door this time. In his room, he kept an archive of every single data collected during the expanse of the investigation- every last one. He also had an LCD screen and an incredibly adaptable media player device configured to play almost every kind of media storage device. He propped himself infront of his collection, took out another lollipop, popped it inside his mouth and began to pull out nearly a dozen of tapes- including those gathered during the more or less trivial start of their goose chase with Kira.

"If ever Yagami-kun is indeed Kira..." L was missing something very significant to complete his theory of 10 percent probability. In a surge of slight frustration, L bit his lip and soon after regretted his decision. The taste of his rather salty blood mixed with the lollipop still inside his mouth and the combination wasn't good at all. He stood up, went inside the bath and opened the medicine cabinet. He took out some cotton buds, a disinfectant and some tissue sheets. Using his nimble toes, he took hold of the rug, pulled it then propped himself on it as he prepared to treat the wound.

All of his pent-up frustrations were behind the wound, as it seemed, since it was bleeding rather badly for just a small bite. L took one sheet of tissue and used it to wipe the trail his blood left on his chin. That's right... Kira's strong points included that he could kill without touching the person. There would be no trail to follow. No murder weapons, no blood, no fingerprints, no nothing. Just the victims, their written, allegorical testimonials and their almost pitiful, constricted form as they die by cardiac arrest. "Which brings us back to..." Raye Penber. He was one of those who died in a rather populated area- the trainstation- and the only one who seemed desperate to have a look back- inside the train. "Something inside the train." L corrected himself, sliding another thumb across his lips, the wound completely forgotten. "Or perhaps, even someone." L, excited with the realization, rushed outside the bathroom, notified Watari through the cellphone and asked if Watari could make a pass through the supermarket. He needed a dozen, juicy red apples and a new fruit basket. "No make that a barrel, Watari." he hurriedly told before hanging up and collapsing on the floor, rolling and laughing exuberantly.

_Do you know that Shinigami eat only apples?_

How about proving the existence of Shinigami first? L wheezed rather painfully as he sat up, stopped laughing and relaxed. He couldn't afford to miss this. L admitted he had a lot of work to do and this required a lot of his official 'brain food'. He removed an ice cream container from the refrigerator and sloshed away with the scooper. "By tomorrow, the cameras should be ready..." Kira, I'll be extra closer... extra careful and extra generous... and even perhaps, so will that Shinigami who's been helping you out. "You're mine for the taking... Only mine...Raito "Kira" Yagami." L licked his lips using his tongue leisurely, more curious than ever how Kira's defeat would taste. Like apples perhaps? The detective could not help but anticipate.

**_Fortsetzung folgt! _**(to be continued)

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Author's Notes: Uhm... reviews? This is my first story here so definitely! Reviews are a must! Think of them as a social obligation to the writer! Am I being too harsh? Nah! Just review, minna-san: ) 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: copy & paste first disclaimer

Summary: Kira could be so near... Raito only needed to drop hints every so often so that L, the famed top-rated detective could grasp his identity. Even at the last minute...

Author's Notes: - if you have read the first installment, you should simply set your imagination to work and believe that, indeed, I have done that action. If not, well, please do. To those who reviewed, I send my well wishes and regards to you! I haven't made it to my self-set deadline, however, so I might have let some of you down... I regret the deed and promise to be more efficient. May you have a pleasant new year, minna-san! **_ich bin es wer wünschen meine Kunst weiblich zu sich entpuppen als grandios! _**(It is I who wishes my art to turn out to be grand!) **_ich warten mit Geduld weiblich für dein Kommentar männlich! _**(I wait with patience for your comments on my work!) This is the second installment, enjoy reading! Oh, and this is only a _weeny bit_ longer than the first. I guess that it's about time I become more articulate, ne?

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**At the Last Minute//Final Deception**

**2.1: The Point of No Return**

_A Shinigami does not have the obligation to help the present human owner of the death note._

Ryuk's foreboding warning; one that I never really took to consideration. There would always be conditions that even he, a god of death, will succumb to. I could control him then. Being the constant top student in all of Japan, do I even need help? Moreover, I refused his deal. What more to listen to his annoying rants of not lending me a hand? For all the months he's been with me, telling me how interesting humans are, he still doesn't know a thing about me. And now, at this grave time of the morning, he has to annoy me with this again?

"You should really let me sleep, Ryuk." I said nonchalantly, blinking my eyes twice or thrice, trying to get used with the lack of light inside my room. "But Raito, by purposefully letting that insomniac, sugar-high kid see me finish off an apple..." he started scratching his back with his hand, "I should say though, the place where he gets his apples..." I eyed him, finding it amusing how Ryuk keeps on adding nonsensical statements. "What about it?" I asked impatiently, all the while that my body was aching to get a good rest. "The apples there must be very good." I shook my head.

Unbelievable, for a god of death to be so addicted to apples. "You are so amusing, Ryuk. Now may I get my sleep? As long as you learn which supermarket Watari buys L's apples, I promise I'll come by whenever you want and treat you all you wish." I watched bemusedly as Ryuk leapt from my bed and flew around my room, arms flailing and his feet kicking furiously in what I knew was anticipation. After another circle, he flew down to face me. "I should really say this, Raito." He stretched a hand over to me and placed it over my forehead. "We Shinigami are creatures of rules. To live, we shouldn't help in delaying a person's death. That includes you, Raito. No matter what you do." Understanding fully what he meant, I smiled at him. "Good night, Ryuk."

Tuesday, school, I was excused from being in the investigation team for most of the day. However, as strictly put by my father, right after classes I was to hurry to L's hotel room and present myself to the rest of the investigation team. But since I had a promise to fulfill, I acted sick and got out of the campus before the last period. Without glancing behind me, I threw a question to Ryuk. "Ryuk, you were saying?" "Ginza prefecture, the Walmart there." He chuckled a bit. "Make sure to pick the best ones, Raito." he had replied, the obvious want for the fruit imminent. I could only smile as I rode on the train.

Ryuk could be so obedient if only asked very politely. The whole meeting reaching up to four more hours, he positioned himself in the room directly under L's, snacking on one apple every now and then. Knowing how L would react to yesterday, the possibility of having at least 120 cameras installed here would be an amusing eighty-three percent. The remaining percent would simply pertain to the possibility that L asked Watari to install more. I smiled inwardly as I shot a glance over to the detective. L had a small, almost unnoticeable wound on his lower lip. Other than those two, another amusing result for my experiment yesterday was evident- not only to me, but to the whole of the investigation team. A whole, unopened barrel of what strongly smelled of apples. L, you never fail to amuse me.

L crossed his left foot over the right as he brushed his tongue over his lips. His dark eyes were strongly focused on the window now streaming once again with the sunset-cast lights. The meeting was about to end soon. There was an overlying silence about the room, both relaxing and disturbing at the same time. All eyes, save mine, my father's, L's and Watari's were on the untouched container. Once again, the detective was posed with a nonsensical question by Matsuda-san. "Ano, Ryuzaki-san?" Silence, and this time, all eyes were on him. "Ryuzaki-san? What are those apples for?" Then laughter.

Strong, haughty, rasping, almost inhuman-sounding laughter. And none of it came from my present companions. All of them were eyeing Matsuda, throwing glances at the still-silent L and, every so often, looking back again at the barrel. No one opened his mouth.

Which could only mean...

I excused myself to use L's restroom. I had to make sure, in one way or another, that it was Ryuk who was laughing like there was no tomorrow. As I stood up, I allowed my eyes to meet L's and for the first time, his eyes were sort of giving the impression, "I know for certain." I sent him a nod, a hidden smile and went my way, letting myself hear what L has to say. "You mean those? They're for a special visitor. I was given the impression he likes them- the apples- by a friend." he had a slight pause, and I realized he was directing a message to me. If telepathy was possible between us, the cunning detective must be saying, "Right, Yagami-kun?" I grinned even more before closing the door behind me and locking it.

Being inside L's bathroom once, I knew there was a pipe directly behind the wall supporting L's medicine cabinet leading directly to the bath of the room Ryuk was using for the meantime. Such pipes came from the boiler room, supposedly to heat the water, and would normally have a scaldingly hot surface- enough to emit visible steam during this winter season. I turned on the tap slightly before opening the window. Seeing that the pipe was already dysfunctional of its original purpose, I leaned closer to it and pressed my ear.

Sure enough, Ryuk was laughing loudly in the room below me. I found it annoying. Disturbing as well, since it was very similar to his laugh that fateful day when Misora Naomi-san, being a previous agent and cautious about her identity, gave me a false name. Something was going to be wrong tonight. I felt a tightening at my abdomen as I left the window, latched it to the lock and faced the mirror infront me.

_A Shinigami does not have the obligation to help the present human owner of the death note._

Why should I even give it a thought? I've dealt with this before... there is a hundred percent chance that I'll emerge victorious. But still... I turned the tap, cupped the rushing water between my two hands and let it touch my cold face. Again and again, until I felt a sudden fire building itself within me. A strong, almost threatening presence. I opened my then closed eyes and stared into my reflection. If it was possible, for a split second, I saw another me.

_A Shinigami does not have the obligation to help the present human owner of the death note._

I smiled at myself. You're Raito, it seemed to say. Your kingdom is not a vision. It is a realized dream. People are realizing the judgement you are passing. You hold the world. There is nothing in your way, save your doubt of overcoming L. He could be easily dealt with. Self-disclosure is the first step to eliminating him. There is nothing wrong with the plan- it is flawless from the start. And with Ryuk, he is something you always had in your disposal, just like Misa and all the other Shinigami.

That's right. I shut the tap off, reached for a clean towel in the cabinet beneath the sink and patted my face dry. I was making the world a better place. Ryuk, Misa, L, all of them are simply tools I have to utilise efficiently. And once I see that they are of no use anymore, simply dispose. I folded the towel then left it hanging on the edge of the surface. I took another look in the mirror. The other Raito image was gone, but I knew it only hid itself. I could still feel his hold, that dictatorial feel of sole authority. I might as well get to know him better- him being a part of me. I turned to face the door, lower the latch and push the door outward.

**_Forsetzung folgt! _**(to be continued)

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Author's notes: Ahehe... reviews, anyone? Oh and to those who reviewed, especially to **Fallan Phantem**, **Morlana** and **tsuhiyo** (my first three reviewers for my first work) hontoni arigatou gozaimasu! They have fulfilled the ultimate obligation to the author (as readers, of course) by being able to review! Same goes for the others and for the rest of avid reviewers out there! (May it be my work or others, it doesn't matter, a reader MUST review!) 


	3. HELP!

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SPECIAL NOTICE:

This is not a chapter. A survey, if you must. Replies would be most welcome as I have reached a dark pit in the attempt of continuing this story.

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**_1) So far, what do you think of the story in:_**

...its story development (pacing of events, etc.)

...its character development (if there are OOCs, etc.)

...in general

**_1.5) When I began writing this, Death Note (the anime) hasn't finished airing yet and I was originally thinking of killing one of them (Raito or L) as the conclusion for the other's (which one of them, I'm still thinking about that) deception. Should I push through?_**

a) NO!! Raito-sama/L-sama!!

b) go with how they are killed in the canon but... (insert suggestions here)

c) kill them for all I care (choose between Raito, L and Matsuda... actually, just Raito-sama and L)

**_2) And yeah, how's my writing style?_**

a) awesome!!

b) satisfactory however... (add comments here)

c) trashy, give it up

**_3) AtLFMD, in my point of view, has no pairings, direct or implied. What the do you think about this?_**

a) you lie!! This has been Raito x L/L x Raito all along!!

b) a pairing (indicate the pair), but only lightly implied (really lightly!!)

c) just keep it as it is. no other complex stuff. just suspense but no strings attached.

**_4) Lastly, this story has been planned as a three chaptered write-up and is already in its 2.5th chapter. It concludes with my next installation._**

a) add two chapters or more!!

b) add another point 5 chapter, like an insert- it can't be THAT hard

c) just finish this story already

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Additional points could be added if you deem it necessary for me to know. And anything, whether it concerns the pacing or the events taking/taken place or the characters or how Ryuuk is without his apples, you could add to. Haha, no need to be harsh or gentle for that matter. Believe me, I can take anything... I think.

Thanks, I really appreaciate it.

Well then, till next update (which will take very, very, very loooooonnnggg...)

Ja!


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